Familiar Stranger
by enjaes
Summary: AU. Set after the winter war, no pairings. Ichigo left everything behind – the Shinigami, the fighting, the power struggles – when he walked away eight years ago after the war ended. Now that he's dead, he doesn't have a choice but to face it all again. How will he go about it?
1. Chapter 1

A/N:

I'm back!

I sincerely apologise for leaving the story hanging for so long... I've been busy coping with some things and ditched writing for awhile.

Right now, I'm doing a full rewrite of this fic since I know that there's a lot of room for improvement. I'll try to post chapters weekly starting from the very beginning, so please do bear with me and perhaps follow me along this journey once again?

Lot of love to everyone who has read thus far!

The full story I have so far is still available on ao3, so head over there to read it.

For the new readers:

 _Italic - character_ thoughts  
 **Bold - Zangetsu speech**  
 **Bold Italic -** ** _Shiro speech_**

* * *

"Yesterday, a traffic accident along ZhongShan Street resulted in one fatality. The deceased has been identified to be Kurosaki Ichigo of Japanese descent, who has been working in China for the past year. An unexpected build-up of …"

Kisuke's mind was whirling as the news report continued in the background.

After the war against Aizen had ended, Kisuke and the other Vizard were pardoned for their supposed crimes and were invited back to Soul Society.

They had been so close to accepting; So close to returning to the place that had shunned them for so long.

So very close – until Ichigo disappeared.

Ichigo's role in the war was pivotal to their victory and the human-turned-shinigami was worshipped as a hero by shinigami and citizens alike. By then, Ichigo was already more powerful than all the Captains – although it was never really tested. Naturally, the young Vizard was offered a position as Captain of a squad in the Gotei 13 since he already had the necessary battle skills and experience.

Ichigo had refused. He had refused and _left._

He went so completely off radar that not even _Kisuke_ could track him down.

Of course, without Ichigo as their anchor, none of the Vizards were willing to return to Soul Society, and they all remained in the human world to hunt down their friend.

Kisuke's fixation on finding Ichigo was borne from part-guilt and part-loyalty. The guilt from dragging Ichigo – a mere human – into a war of death gods and watching the boy crumble before his eyes yet not having the power to change it; The loyalty that Ichigo garnered through his stead-fast actions that transcended what words could ever achieve.

In all the eight years of staying in the human world and working with the other Vizards with the faint hope that Kisuke could somehow find the boy, they picked up not a single clue.

Until now.

"Kisuke! Did you see–"

 _Yes. Yes, he did._ Kisuke hung up on a rambling Hiyori who had called about the news.

It took a moment for Kisuke to fully comprehend the situation, still seated in his shoten with a cup of tea in front of him.

Genius or not, shocking news was still shocking news.

Kisuke knew for a fact that the human body was extremely fragile no matter how powerful the soul was, and it was entirely normal for anyone to die at any time. He just never expected Ichigo, of all people, to reach the end of his human life so soon. No one really expects people they know, or even themselves, to just up and die like that.

Kisuke didn't know what to feel. All this time he had been searching, and it turned out Ichigo's death was what they needed.

* * *

The last thing Ichigo remembered as he was struggling for consciousness was the bus. It drove right into the side of his car, and there was so much blood around.

 _Was it his own?_

He was barely conscious and could hear people shouting all around the wreckage. His body was felt crushed, but strangely, he couldn't feel any pain.

 _What happened to the kid? Was the kid alright?_

Ichigo had been driving home that evening when a child who looked to be about six years old ran onto the road directly in front of his car.

There was also a bus driving toward him on the other lane.

He knew that if he didn't swerve away, the boy would die.

There was no time to think.

The people on the bus were more likely to survive a collision with him compared to the more vulnerable kid. The choice was obvious.

Ichigo blacked out again.

* * *

"Captain?" Nanao approached hesitantly.

It was still too early for her Captain to be up and walking through the barracks. Usually, she would have to search for him when he didn't bother to show up even by noon.

"Places to be, things to do…" was all Kyoraku offered as an explanation before he shunpo-ed in the direction of the First Division barracks.

An emergency Captain's Assembly had been called to order.

Such a thing was rare now that Soul Society was experiencing a time of peace, but the sudden reiatsu disturbance that could be felt throughout Soul Society two days ago was not a matter they could dismiss until the next meeting.

Even having waited two days for the Captains who were on away assignments to return was dangerous enough. Kyoraku suspected there was something else going on.

When all the Captains gathered in the Assembly Hall, Juushiro, Captain of the Thirteenth Division, reported without fanfare: "Kurosaki Ichigo has passed, and the disturbance is speculated to be due to his arrival here."

There was a long period of tense silence as every Captain in the room registered the information and implications of it.

To say Kyoraku was shocked was an understatement.

He had come prepared for additional information, but not for such news right off the bat.

"Where is he now?"; "Does Isshin know yet?"; "Is he coming here?"

Many questions shot out at once from the usually calm and collected attendees, which would have translated to outright panic among any other group, though it wasn't at all surprising since they were talking about the Vizard who had gone missing eight years ago.

 _Their_ Vizard.

Kyoraku didn't doubt for a second that the whole Gotei 13 had already unofficially adopted Ichigo into their ranks and deemed him a comrade – just look at all the Eleventh Division jocks always clamouring after Ichigo.

"We will be informing Isshin and his family before we proceed any further. Currently, Kisuke is executing his plan to locate Ichigo in Rukongai, so whether we manage to find him or not would depend on that." Juushiro said, since he was in-charge of external affairs of the Shinigami, including management of the Vizards.

"The ideal course of action would be to bring him into our ranks before something happens to him or other powers get to him. I'm sure he'd like to be with his family as well." Sui-Feng commented.

"I wouldn't be so sure. Ichigo left after the war for a reason, and he hasn't been in contact with even his closest friends." Kyoraku voiced.

He truly was disappointed that Ichigo chose to leave after all that had happened, but he couldn't really blame the boy – _no, not boy. he was already an adult_.

But still, Ichigo was very much a child in their world of death gods – he had only lived for a fraction of time compared to all the other Captains.

To have relied so much on him throughout the war was a blemish on their pride as Shinigami Captains, but they had no other choice. Ichigo was powerful and commanded great respect. He had the will and drive that drew people to him. Soldiers trusted him to lead them into battle.

 _But Ichigo's willingness to help had cost him too much._

Ichigo's family – Isshin, Karin, and Yuzu – were killed by Aizen's forces in the third year of the long and bloody war. His friends, Ishida and Chad, fell earlier in the second year when they were facing a particularly durable group of Aizen's hollow creations. Both times, Ichigo wasn't present. He was always sent to the most difficult battles right in the middle of Hueco Mundo, so much so that eventually, it became a fact that anyone being sent into battle with Ichigo had to be at least Captain-class or it was suicide.

Ichigo had blamed himself for their deaths. That much was obvious to the people around him. They could see him shutting away into himself with every death of someone he knew, but there was nothing they could do about it.

After the first year of war, it was all too obvious that Ichigo's power was absolutely necessary in their ranks. It was the only thing keeping Aizen from storming Seireitei and claiming victory at once.

When the war finally ended, Ichigo's family and friends already had their souls sent to Soul Society since only their human bodies perished. Isshin was reinstated as the Shiba clan head, while Ishida and Chad were offered seated roles in the Gotei 13 squads immediately.

Ichigo could have chosen to stay with them, but he didn't. He didn't even so much as visit any of them despite a few requests and some knowledge of where they were living.

Many of their comrades were puzzled, but Kyoraku could understand.

He had been the closest to Ichigo, after all. Throughout the war, they often trained and drank together. Sometimes during the rare lulls of the war, Kyoraku would find Ichigo lounging under the Sakura trees outside his Division's barracks.

Why Ichigo seemed to find comfort in his presence, Kyoraku couldn't even begin to explain, but he had always treated Ichigo like his own son and would never refuse whatever peace Ichigo sought.

Because they spent so much time together, Kyoraku could see that avoiding the people he cherished was Ichigo's form of love and comfort. It may have seemed contrary to others, but Ichigo was never one for outward affection. He didn't need to spend time with people or constantly call for their affection to affirm how he felt for them. Whoever Ichigo loved, he loved whole-heartedly, regardless of what the person did or felt. This was why just knowing that the people he treasured were safe was good enough for Ichigo.

It was what he had defeated Aizen for.

Ichigo could have chosen to avoid the war entirely if he had just stayed out of it, but he understood that as long as Soul Society was threatened, the whole world was essentially under threat as well.

The deaths of his loved-ones' human bodies were a regrettable outcome, but now that Soul Society was safe, his job was done.

Now that his people were safe, he wasn't needed anymore.

"I'll be going on a long trip that would last my lifetime. I just want to see what I fought so hard to protect – what I'll keep fighting to protect. I guess I'll next see you when I get to Soul Society.

"Bye, old man." Ichigo spoke only to Kyoraku before he left.

The message was clear: don't try to find me.

So Kyoraku respected his decision and kept this to himself for all these years, keeping up the pretence of occasionally searching for Ichigo along with the other squads.

Everyone wanted to find him so that they could either bring him back or simply thank him (or fight him, in Kenpachi's case). It was rather heart-warming to see that the Shinigami were loyal to their comrades.

Kyoraku didn't expect for Ichigo to face such an abrupt death.

He was resigned to waiting up to another century before Ichigo next appeared in front of him – after he has used up his human life.

This turn of events, however, wasn't unwelcome, especially now that there was another ominous threat looming in the horizon.

* * *

"You're dismissed."

The Captains' Assembly concluded with having four squads being placed under Kisuke's command to investigate Rukongai for the source of reiatsu disturbance, while the other Vizards monitor things in the human world.

There was a chance that Ichigo's soul remained stuck there and that the massive reiatsu explosion was something else entirely.

As the Captains were filing out of the hall, Kyoraku was asked to stay behind with the Captain-Commander. He paused in his tracks, giving Juushiro a sidelong glance to indicate for Juushiro to carry on without him.

"What do you think Ichigo will do?" The old Shinigami questioned with his gravelly voice.

Although this seemed to be a simple question from someone who was concerned about the Vizard, there was an underlying reason beyond the obvious.

Yamamoto-Soutaicho wanted to evaluate if Ichigo would become a threat. The power the Vizard contained was not something that could be easily written off, and if he decided to act on his own or join a faction opposing the Gotei 13, there would be trouble for them.

"I believe Ichigo would never bring harm to Soul Society voluntarily, but he will still do whatever he feels is right, and even I cannot predict his actions." Kyoraku answered.

"Very well." And that was the end of the discussion.

* * *

 _What happened?_

 _ **You died, you moron.**_

 **Shiro, I'm sure Ichigo will need some time to… adjust. Quiet down.**

 _ **Damn it, you old fart. We're fucking dead and you want me calm? That idiot sacrificed his life so we're stuck here and can't go back to human-ing. We were havin' so much fun travelling around, dammit. Why the hell was I-**_

Ichigo cut off the mental link at that point. He couldn't deal with a raving Shiro just then.

 _I'm really dead._

Except for the splitting headache when he just woke up, it didn't feel that bad.

Perhaps he was too calm about it, but ever since learning about the existence of Soul Society, Ichigo never dwelled too much on his own death – it was as simple as being brought from one place to another after all. He had heard that people lose their memories after coming to Soul Society, but Ichigo already decided that it wouldn't be a problem for him, considering his insanely high reiatsu level.

Also, most of the people he knew in his life were already in Soul Society anyway – he didn't have much to lose.

After giving his stomach a moment to settle, he was finally feeling less nauseas and not on the verge of puking.

Ichigo sat up to look around.

He was placed on a single futon at a corner of the room. There were a few other futons spread out across the area too, but no one else was around.

Extending his senses to feel outside the window, Ichigo could make out the bustle of a market with the familiar shouting and haggling.

This place didn't seem like any part of Soul Society he was familiar with.

"Ah you're awake." A kind-looking middle-aged lady walked into the white-washed room he was in.

"Where am I?" Ichigo needed to get his bearings first.

"This is District One of East Rukongai. You're in one of estates that we keep to house newcomers like you and it's been two days since you were found. I must say, your death must have been very terrible for you to bear those scars you have. Our doctors were shocked at first, thinking you might have been attacked here in the first District." She must have been talking about the many scars he got during the war.

On one of his raids where he had no back-up, Aizen managed to snare him in a trap and Ichigo was left in the mad-man's 'tender loving care' for two whole months before he managed to get free.

Those months were pure torture, both physically and mentally.

He never wanted to think about it again, and most people didn't know about those scars anyway.

Ichigo considered himself lucky to have been dropped in the First District. It was the cleanest part of Soul Society apart from Seireitei and this place had the nicest people and amenities.

If he had been dumped in the lawless outskirts of Rukongai, he would have much harder time getting to Seireitei. Right now, reaching the compound was his goal. It was the most comfortable place in this familiar yet strange world that he had avoided for eight years.

"You're free to go wherever you please now. In this District, we have the policy of not prying into a person's activities and you're free to change your life however you want."

This would work out well for Ichigo.

No doubt, if he simply told any Shinigami around that he was Kurosaki Ichigo, he would be welcomed into Seireitei with open arms. However, he didn't want a whole truckload of Shinigami descending upon him, and he didn't want to go in search of his friends just yet.

Ichigo knew that they all meant well and were trying to help him cope with the aftermath of the war in their own ways, but Ichigo still couldn't get past the guilt that trumped all other emotions whenever he recalls scenes of fallen soldiers, or the bodies of his dead friends and family.

He couldn't face anyone. Not yet.

Nevertheless, he would have to join the Shinigami eventually. Ichigo wasn't foolish enough to think that he could avoid them forever in their own domain.

For now, he would head to Seireitei.

* * *

The streets of Rukongai looked exactly like those out of his high school history textbook.

Short attap buildings lined the streets, with vendors carrying out their activities on the ground level and children crying in their homes on the upper floors.

This felt surreal.

It felt like he was in a dream, or maybe waking up from one.

The smells of Japanese street food were nostalgic and inviting, and the weather was at a perfect balance between temperature and humidity.

Had he had no plans, Ichigo would be lazing around somewhere to relax and cloud gaze and he could see why this might seem like Heaven.

Ichigo was walking to the prime residential area that housed the district representative where he could get information on entering Seireitei – or so he was told. He was given a map, but it was only a crude sketch so he had to stop along the way to ask for directions.

"Hey kid, where's the prime residential area?" Ichigo asked a small boy nearby who physically looked to be about eight years old – but you never really know, what with the whacky aging process in Soul Society.

"Tch. I'm not a kid! My bro's a Shinigami and he can kick everyone's ass, including yours, mister!"

Ichigo's face blanked.

That mocking tone… it seems like human condescension surpasses even death.

Figuring this wasn't worth his time, Ichigo simply walked on.

"Oi! Old man! I'm not done with you!"

 _Twack-_

"Oomph."

Ichigo flipped over the kid who had rushed at him, then he simply starred down before letting go.

The kid ran off.

 _ **Kekeke bloody boy deserved it.**_

 _Oops._ Ichigo might have let loose a little too much of Shiro in his gaze.

"Sorry, please don't mind him. He's got too much pride after his brother became the first Shinigami in this neighbourhood. The prime residential area you're looking for is just up ahead from here. You should see some signs in about fifteen minutes." The shopkeeper who witnessed the scene helpfully provided.

"I see. Thanks."

* * *

"You want to what?" Eito must be getting old.

He must have heard the boy wrongly.

"Go to Seireitei." Ichigo confirmed for the third time.

In all the years that he had been representative of this District, Eito had never met one so brazen.

"Look, Seireitei isn't a place you can just go prancing into at your own whim. Even I, from a minor noble house, would have to get permission just to enter the gates, much less set foot anywhere else." Eito tried explaining to the man.

"There must be some way I can get there." Ichigo insisted.

It seems this bright-haired boy – or man? – wouldn't take no for an answer.

He sighed.

Eito could tell that this was a stubborn man – his years of dealing with people made his intuition very reliable. Yet, there was a certain quality about this man that suggested a wealth of strength beyond ordinary comprehension.

"You can try enrolling in Shin'o Academy." He finally offered, reserving the knowledge that not just any average Joe could pass the entrance exam.

This man would eventually give up when he reaches his limit.

* * *

A/N:

I haven't yet decided if I want to change certain events in the story, but I guess I'll write with my intuition as always!

Thanks for reading and please leave a review on your way out :)

Feel free to drop me PMs for questions - I reply to those a lot faster.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:

I got this done before the week is up and decided to post it anyway since I'll be busy the next few weeks.

Readers of the previous story might notice that there are quite a few changes I have made, but nothing that will heavily impact the overall plot. Still, I hope you give this a read and let me know how it is :)

* * *

Before Ichigo left, he was told by Eito to return the next day when a Shinigami would arrive to conduct his test to determine if he can be allowed to enter Shin'o Academy.

It would seem Ichigo would have to find a place to crash for the night.

 _Maybe the nice lady will let me stay in the hall again. Is getting free food also too much to ask for?_

With Ichigo's reiatsu level, he ate like an average human being even in Soul Society, and Ichigo could already feel his stomach answering to the aroma of the food from the food stands as he walked along the street.

"Oi, I heard you were bullying my brother?" A loud voice brought Ichigo out of his musing.

Ichigo looked at the people around him but none of them seemed to be reacting.

 _Talking to me?_

He turned around.

The voice belonged to a tall and lanky Shinigami who was standing beside that annoying kid who had jumped at him earlier.

Ichigo groaned, his mind already theorizing possible reasons for their attention.

 _Please let them not have come asking for a fight._

Ichigo was dressed in a plain brown yukata that was provided by the kind caretaker, and he had no sword – not even a wooden practice blade. He felt somewhat naked, but he could probably take out this Shinigami even without one, and if the situation became dire, he could manifest Zangetsu or Shiro to use as he wished. However, it should only be used when the situation absolutely called for it. He didn't want to attract too much attention right when he just arrived.

"I was–" Ichigo was cut off when the Shinigami moved as if to hold him.

With his finely-honed instincts, Ichigo swiftly avoided the contact by simply stepping out of the way.

From the Shinigami's expression, the guy hadn't been expecting any sort of resistance from someone who looked to be a regular Rukongai citizen. The Shinigami moved again more aggressively, still trying for a restraining action.

When that had once again failed, the Shinigami's eyes widened briefly, then narrowed in concentration to study Ichigo more carefully.

"Who are you?" The Shinigami asked.

Ichigo scowled.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?" Ichigo was the one being attacked here.

The Shinigami moved again, and this time, it was obvious that he planned to attack after giving up on restraining Ichigo.

Of course, Ichigo countered.

Lucky for Ichigo, they kept to hand-to-hand combat. Ichigo knew the Shinigami would be in trouble as well if he misused his Zanpakutou.

A few punches and blocks later, it became obvious that neither of them were getting the upper hand.

"You're good." The Shinigami commented as both fighters backed off.

Ichigo would have liked to return the compliment if he weren't so desperately trying to lower his combat ability to that of his opponent's level, and Shiro wasn't so painfully resisting.

Zangetsu was just spectating and was being no help at all.

 _Whack-_

The Shinigami was hit on the head with a flying slipper that Ichigo hadn't noticed until it met its mark.

Ichigo tensed.

Hardly anything ever surprised Ichigo in battle anymore after years of the constant need for vigilance and too many scars born from carelessness, but this…

 _A slipper._

He mentally catalogued the item as another possible weapon right next to 'chopstick' (it was used once when Ichigo stepped into Byakuya's dining room without removing his mud filled shihakusho).

"You imbecile! How old must you be before you start thinking before you hit?" The owner of the slipper came forward, with the other of the pair looming threateningly above her head.

"Ahh haa… Obaa-san…" The Shinigami began sheepishly, pointing at Ichigo, "he was fighting too…"

Ichigo scoffed.

 _What a coward–_

The thought ceased when he turned and noticed the old lady's expression. Women were definitely scary when mad – heck, they were even scary when _not_ mad.

Ichigo mentally braced himself for the same slipper treatment.

"I'm so sorry for these two brats. They've brought you a lot of trouble." She said, gesturing to the now sheepish Shinigami.

A little confused by the sudden change in her temperament, Ichigo paused for a moment to regain his bearings. Feeling just a tinge of pity for the duo and seeing that they hadn't caused any harm, Ichigo decided to be nice and let them off the hook.

"It's nothing. I'm completely fine."

"My grandkids are always causing me trouble, but they're still good kids. I hope you don't hold anything against them, sir." The old lady continued.

"It's really okay. I'll be on my way." Ichigo wanted to hurry out of there now as more and more people were getting curious and crowding around.

Seeing a Shinigami stop to talk to someone was already a big enough deal, much less seeing them get into a fight.

* * *

"Obaa-san, why did you treat him so nicely?" Kosuke asked.

Even if he and his little brother were in the wrong, it was unusual for his Obaa-san to show anyone that much respect, even to the point of calling them _sir._ That was typically reserved only for high ranked Shinigami. Their Obaa-san always treated everyone like children (and everyone indeed was to her since she was ancient).

"He felt different, like someone who should be respected." There was a pause as Kosuke waited for her to elaborate. "Hmm… Call it an old lady's intuition."

"Tch. Nii-chan would have won if you didn't interrupt. Nii-san was totally going easy on him, right?" Hiro quipped, cutting into their conversation.

The only response the boy got was an added bruise to his head beside the one already there which given when Kosuke eventually found out that Hiro was the one who provoked the other man first.

He should have known better than to trust his brother who was constantly misbehaving.

The boy looked up at him with mock hurt but still a sparkle in his eyes. Hiro had always looked up to Shinigami as heroes who could do anything and defeat anyone, and he was right – but only when compared to an average man.

Hiro would be disappointed if Kosuke told him the truth - that he had been going all out.

 _Just who was that guy?_

Granted, Kosuke wasn't even close to being one of the best Shinigami, but he was already a candidate for the next seated position in the Eighth Division. That was pretty damn good by all accounts.

* * *

The next day, Kosuke left his house before breakfast. The only reason he stayed back home instead of at the Division barracks the night before was because he had been called to this district to conduct the Shin'o Academy entrance exam for someone who had applied.

Kosuke inwardly hoped this would happen more often. He loved his Baa-san's home cooked meals, and having more Shinigami on the force would help too. It definitely wasn't because he found sadistic joy in pressuring Academy hopefuls as the test administrator.

On the way to Eito's residence, Kosuke spotted that orange-haired man from the day before.

The man was walking a little ways in front of him, dressed in the same brown yukata.

Kosuke considered stopping to apologise, but the man was walking fast – probably rushing somewhere – and Kosuke might be late for his own appointment if he lingered.

Somehow, however, he ended up tailing the man for another four streets before they headed in different directions.

 _Man, the guy is fast._

Without shunpo, Kosuke probably couldn't catch up with him to talk even if he wanted to.

* * *

"Thank you for coming, Kosuke-san. I imagine you must be busy with your Shinigami work." Eito bowed and greeted Kosuke when he arrived at Eito's residence.

"No need for formalities, just call me Kosuke like how you used to, Ojii-san."

Kosuke didn't like how everyone automatically submitted to Shinigami as if they were so superior. As a kid, he used to bother the town-folk and got scolded by Eito a lot. Over time, the district head became like a father-figure to him, so it was plain uncomfortable having Eito regard him so highly now.

"You were such a sneaky brat in the past that it's hard to reconcile that image with who you are now." Eito laughed. "You were rather cute last time when you kept insisting that waking around half-naked was a tribute to nature."

Kosuke cringed.

 _I should be careful what I wish for._

Maybe a little bowing and respect was fine.

"The candidate hasn't arrived yet, but he should be on the way. He only recently got to Soul Society, and yesterday was the first time I met him." Eito informed Kosuke. "I wouldn't have let him test, but he was very insistent, so I hope you'll just humor him and finish up quickly."

"I see." Kosuke replied absentmindedly, already preparing the forms and test papers.

After hearing that the man had only just arrived in Soul Society, Kosuke didn't expect him to pass, and it seems neither did Eito. There wasn't enough time for the man's reiatsu to have developed or for him to have gained enough knowledge about Soul Society.

* * *

 _ **The tester is this guy? You'll whip his ass.**_

 _Don't give me any trouble today, Shiro._

Ichigo was already late as he was, missing the correct turn a few streets back.

This was the second time he was surprised in as many days when he entered Eito's residence only to come face to face with the same Shinigami from the day before.

"It's you." Both men said at the same time.

There was a pregnant pause as they regarded each other silently, and only broke eye contact when Eito audibly cleared his throat at the side.

Startled out of his thoughts, Kosuke finally realised that he was staring, which was unbecoming of a Shinigami to be acting. He quickly collected himself and stretched his hand out to Ichigo.

"I'm sorry for yesterday. My little brother is as mischievous as they come." They had started out on the wrong foot yesterday, and this was as good a apology as Kosuke could offer.

The orange-head took his offered hand and exchanged a firm shake, seeming to have already written off yesterday's incident.

"I'm Kosuke of the Eighth Division." Kosuke introduced himself with a hint of pride inflecting his voice.

"I'm–"

 _Shit._

As much of a powerful fighter as Ichigo was, he was never really one for elaborate strategies and usually left the planning of battles to the others. His style was more intuitive where he would follow his own gut and principles.

He sure as hell didn't think about having to introduce himself in front of a full-fledged Shinigami who might have fought in the war and would be familiar with the name 'Kurosaki Ichigo'.

"It's alright, I don't have to know your name to test you." Kosuke interjected dismissively, saving Ichigo from his own mental turmoil. The Shinigami seemed to assume that Ichigo had simply forgotten his name since that usually happened for people who just entered Soul Society. The memory would probably only return in a few days.

"Follow me." Kosuke beckoned Ichigo into an empty room in the residence where a couple of sheets of paper had already been spread out over a small wooden table.

The test began.

After the written section of the test, Kosuke ran through the basics of the other combat forms. Of course, Ichigo downplayed his true abilities as much as he could to avoid unnecessary suspicion, but Kosuke still seemed genuinely impressed if the careful regard was anything to go by.

The whole test lasted the entire morning and it was already slightly past noon once it finally ended.

"I'll have to bring these sheets to the administrative officers of the Academy. Hopefully I can let you know if you're accepted or not by tomorrow." Kosuke explained as he prepared to leave.

Ichigo mentally scoffed.

If all new applicants had to go through something so tedious, it was a marvel how they managed to have enough Shinigami to run Seireitei in the first place.

"Come on, I'll treat you to lunch first." Kosuke offered, seeing Ichigo at some sort of a lost on where to go and what to do. "My Baa-san is an awesome cook."

Since Ichigo could feel his own stomach protesting, he decided that there was no harm in the offer and he followed after Kosuke.

Ichigo could tell that Kosuke was an innately friendly man with the way the Shinigami waved to shopkeepers and other people he knew every so often.

When the Shinigami tried to make conversation with him, Ichigo answered just barely enough to be polite. In his mind, Ichigo was already mapping out the area and scoping possible routes of escape and strategic battle grounds. It was a habit he had developed during the war and still constantly practiced while he was on the move in the human world. It wasn't something he was proud of when he stuck to it even in friendly territory, but it was useful and had saved him from gruesome pain on multiple occasions.

Kosuke frowned as he studied the orange-head beside him.

The man had a quiet disposition that was quite unlike anyone else he had ever met.

Even the most reserved person Kosuke had tested before would bombard him with questions about the Academy curriculum or Shinigami work - it wasn't everyday that regular people had the chance to talk to Shinigami after all. Then, there was also the question of why Ichigo wanted to enrol when he had only just arrived. His test scores were high, but not high enough to indicate that he might have already learned the name of his zanpakutou. Still, there was a chance.

 _There's also the fight we had yesterday…_

Kosuke knew better than to ask about it. From what he learned of the man so far, he wouldn't get direct answer – it wasn't his business to pry anyway.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here?" Hiro shouted as he pointed accusingly at the orange-haired man now standing in their house.

"Be polite, Hiro. He's my guest." Kosuke admonished, and was relieved when Hiro actually listened and backed down to merely staring.

"Baa-chan, we have room for one more, right?" He called out to his grandmother in the kitchen.

"Of course. Come help me set up the table."

Ichigo had started to regret thinking with his stomach. He now stood uncomfortably by the door with the kid glaring daggers at him. When he had offered to help with the preparation, the old lady hustled him out of the kitchen and told him to get comfortable since he was their guest.

He was anything but comfortable.

He was already too used to always moving and doing things. Staying put and waiting was definitely not his forte.

Throughout lunch, the old lady and Kosuke made polite conversation with him, and Ichigo learned that Kosuke and Hiro were picked up by the old lady years ago and weren't actually blood related brothers. She used to own a food stall nearby, but once Kosuke made Shinigami and earned more than enough money to support their household, she closed it and moved on to providing food and cooking at the shelter in the district. The shelter was the place people usually went to when they were in a limbo after just arriving in Soul Society and still searching for jobs. There were mostly children staying there who couldn't do enough work to support themselves.

Ichigo made a mental note to check out the place if he needed to stay for another night.

Ichigo liked the old lady.

She was straightforward with her words and her no-nonsense demeanour was no doubt the factor that had whipped Kosuke and Hiro into obedience. Despite her casual manner, however, she was never overly rude or intrusive about Ichigo's privacy, and Ichigo was grateful for the subtle deflection on her part whenever Kosuke or Hiro probed too much into his past.

Plus, her cooking was great.

As Kosuke and Ichigo were preparing to leave after they had finished their meal, the old lady – she told him to call her Baa-san – reached up to hug Ichigo.

"Come back anytime you need to. There's a home for you here now." Obaa-san said with a sort of deep understanding in her eyes as she looked at Ichigo.

Ichigo was floored by the sentiment.

The last time he had a home, it was destroyed along with the deaths of his family and friends in the human world. Ever since, he hadn't settled anywhere long enough the put down roots.

Now, with just those simple words, it was as if the years of constant fighting and travelling registered all at once and hit him hard - very hard. The oxygen suddenly felt too thin and it was all he could do to hold back the tears that were threatening to leak.

"Thank you." Ichigo waved a quick goodbye and hightailed out of the house as quickly as he could.

If anyone had noticed his voice crack at those words, they never said a word.

* * *

A/N:

Thanks for reading, and please leave a review on your way out!

Any questions or discussion through PM is more than welcome too :)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:

Thanks everyone for your kind reviews :)

I've gotten another chapter done so quickly because I'm going to be busy for the next few weeks and might not be able to keep up with the weekly chapter updates.

* * *

It was only when night fell and Ichigo was lounging on his futon in the shelter that he realised Kosuke never mentioned how they would get in contact if Ichigo made it into the Academy.

 _Too late to do anything about it now._

Ichigo shrugged and moved to lay down.

 **What are you planning to do, Ichigo?**

Ichigo inwardly cringed at Zangetsu's question.

Now that he had no more pressing matters to attend to, he had time to seriously consider his actions from now on. Things would be easy if he simply went to meet his friends and family in Seireitei, but there was a something preventing him from doing that. Part of it had to do with the fact that he didn't know how to face them again after being away for years, but a larger part of it had to do with Ichigo's innate nature. He was a natural fighter and protector. He'd been doing it since young with his sisters, then standing up for himself and his friends against bullies, then with the Shinigami in their war. Now that there was no _purpose_ for him to be fighting anymore, Ichigo wasn't sure he wouldn't spend his days simply wallowing in restlessness. He wouldn't be able to just stay put and take orders from the Gotei 13.

Then again, it wasn't like he _wanted_ to fight. War is a terrible thing in any day and age.

Ichigo simply wanted to be free.

 _ **Oi King, we can feel you brooding. It's starting to rain, you shit.**_

Ichigo gave Shiro his best mental eye roll hoping his begrudging housemate could feel that too.

 _I guess I'll have to find my friends. They'll all recognise me as soon as they see me walking around anyway._

 _I'll let things take their course._

 **You could always stay in Rukongai.**

Coming from Zangetsu, it wasn't a suggestion but rather an option for Ichigo to consider.

He really could just stay, but somehow it didn't feel right. Ichigo only left Soul Society after the war because there weren't any threats left against his friends and family that the Captains couldn't handle. Now that he was here, however, Ichigo felt a thread of responsibility which compelled him to be among the fighting force whether or not they were facing enemies.

Ichigo laughed mockingly to an empty room. He was so full of contradictions.

 _I'm going to Seireitei._

Ichigo made up his mind.

He had to enter the Academy first, but there was no doubt in his mind that he had passed that laughable Academy enrolment test.

* * *

In the morning, Ichigo woke up to Kosuke standing at the door of the large hall he had slept in, waiting to bring him to the Academy.

Ichigo should have been worried about how easily Kosuke had found him, but seeing as there hadn't been a whole squad descending upon him, he didn't bother enough to ask.

On the way to the Academy, Ichigo passed the same huge gate that had given him so much trouble back when he was saving Rukia, but he didn't get to reminisce the delicious battles that took place since he was so distracted in his own head. He felt a little guilty for even entirely missing Kosuke's introduction of various landmarks in the area (not that he needed it, but it sounded like the Shinigami had put in effort).

Ichigo was thankful for the fact that the route they took was far away from the area that housed the division barracks. This meant that the two hardly came across other Shinigami besides the few who were on courier missions or assigned on patrol.

Shin'o Academy looked different from how Ichigo had imagined it to be.

He only had short glimpses of it during the war when he happened to travel past it. Compared to a normal colleges he was used to, the Academy was almost three times larger. It consisted of buildings dedicated entirely to lecture halls and classrooms, and fields upon fields of training grounds that were split into different sections for the different combat forms.

Once Kosuke had left him at the entrance with a cheery 'good luck', Ichigo entered the main office to submit the referral form that he received from Eito.

Somewhat used to administrative procedures after going through many airports and shifting around in the human world, Ichigo did not expect a sheet of paper to be thrust into his hands as the only acknowledgement that they knew he was there. There was no one questioning his origin or motives, or even taking down his personal details.

The grumpy spectacled assistant then ushered him toward where Ichigo assumed was the dorms, still scowling and maintaining silence.

 _Maybe I came at a bad time._

As Ichigo trailed after his guide along a corridor, Ichigo spotted a tall woman with neatly braided hair, sporting a Captain's hoari flowing in the wind behind her.

 _Shit._

Unohana-taichou was walking from one of the lecture halls with Isana trailing behind her.

Of course, with the way Ichigo's luck was, the Fourth Division Captain immediately spotted him and his guide as well.

 _Damn the Captains' freaky reiatsu sensing abilities._

 _ **You're in deep shit now… kekeke.**_

 _Thanks, shiro. Ever so helpful._

 _ **Just doin' my job, King.**_

"A new student today, Rai-kun?" Unohana asked as she approached closer to where Ichigo was following this 'Rai-kun'.

Rai's expression immediately morphed from disgruntled disinterest into respectful compliance as he greeted the Captain.

"Yes, he just arrived from the first district of Rukongai."

Ichigo was too busy bracing himself for the moment Unohana would identify him to be surprised that Rai actually knew where he came from.

He would get dragged to a familiar Assembly Hall and get a tongue-lashing – from Karin, from Kisuke, from Kyoraku, maybe even from Byakuya if the noble does it in a way that maintained his stoic dignity. He would get yelled at for leaving all of them so suddenly and worrying them.

Then, they'd probably hug him to death before he was conscripted into their ranks.

Ichigo was inwardly panicking, not quite deciding if he should be relieved that he doesn't have to continue snooping around anymore, or terrified that he would now have to face everyone he had actively avoided.

"Well, have fun in the Academy." Unohana smiled serenely as she addressed Ichigo before walking away.

Ichigo stood rooted to the spot. Only the knowledge that Rai was close to him prevented him from showing any outright shock on his face.

 _Huh?_

 _What the hell was that?_

The Captain had completely dismissed Ichigo as a mere Academy student.

The last he checked, he was still Kurosaki Ichigo – the Vizard who fought alongside every single one of the Gotei 13 Captains at least once. He still had his mop of annoyingly bright orange hair and trademark semi-permanent smile.

Why had she not recognized him?

 _Are they not looking for me?_

Even if they had already given up on finding him, the Captain would have at least acknowledged him since they were mostly on good terms – even though their interactions usually consisted of her trying to tie him down to a bed long enough for her to heal him before he ran off into battle again.

There was no reason for him to be completely ignored.

 _ **Move, you dimwit.**_

At Shiro's probing, Ichigo realised Rai had already walked further ahead.

He pushed all his muddled thoughts to the back of his mind for thinking about later.

"Hey, Rai?" Ichigo called out as he jogged to catch up with the Shinigami. "What happens if you meet someone you knew before you died?" Ichigo asked.

Rai hadn't seemed to notice Ichigo's previous shock.

"What? Nothing, of course." Rai replied derisively without even a falter in his steps. "Most wouldn't even remember."

"And my name is Raido. Do well to address me appropriately." Raido admonished.

 _Great._

The first person Ichigo met at the Academy just _had_ to have a stick up his ass.

"It would be Kuchiki-san to you." Raido continued.

 _That explains it._

This Shinigami was probably some cousin of the great Byakuya, epitome of stoicism. Raido's dismissive tone suggested no more conversation would be tolerated.

Once Ichigo had been shown to his room, he was instructed to fill in his name for each class he was registered for indicated in the schedule given to him. He had to wonder what name Eito put down in his referral form. It was likely something along the lines of 'forgot so don't ask'.

This meant Ichigo could be anyone he wanted to be. The though would have been rather unsettling, but with what had happened earlier, it was a little exciting.

Instead of immediately settling in his room (not that he had any belongings in the first place), Ichigo used the map of the Academy he had received to search for the library. There should be some answers to his confusing situation there.

He had to understand what happened earlier with the Captain.

* * *

"It's been a week and you still haven't found Ichigo?" Yoruichi huffed from where she was perched on the armrest of Kisuke's chair.

Yoruichi knew that her genius childhood friend was against the idea of dragging Ichigo into Shinigami affairs once again, but this was just too much.

"I assure you, it isn't from the lack of trying." Kisuke replied with frustration lacing his voice.

"I just can't locate him. He might have learned how to hide his reiatsu signature too well." Kisuke explained as he turned to stare pointedly at Yoruichi from under his bucket hat.

The goddess of flash had the decency to look mildly sheepish. She _had_ been the one to teach Ichigo after all.

Right after the Gotei 13 had been notified of Ichigo's death in the human world, they brought in Kisuke to track down the Vizard, giving the ex-Captain his own office and lab to work in.

Kisuke had already been working round the clock for the past week and was beyond frustrated. Not even quantum physics had phased him before when he had been idly reading in the human world.

Then again, when had things ever been easy when it came to Ichigo?

Things would be so much easier if only they knew the exact location of the sudden reiatsu source. Despite not having any concrete proof, Kisuke was convinced that the sudden spike in reiatsu at that area was due to Ichigo's arrival. He had never believed in coincidences, especially one so convenient as this.

The problem was, the reiatsu source had been so massive and widespread that the science division couldn't pinpoint it to any one district. The best lead they had was that it had originated somewhere in the East.

"How can not a single person notice a bright orange-head around Soul Society? He's hot enough to attract some attention at least." Yoruichi wondered aloud.

Apart from the initial four squads, all divisions also had their Shinigami patrolling the accessible areas of Soul Society whenever they had additional manpower. It was hard to believe that they would have absolutely no further leads.

Kisuke sighed.

"The thing is, we might not recognize him even if we did see him." Kisuke said. "This case is unprecedented because Ichigo is the only human-turned-Shinigami while he was still human. His capacity of reiatsu is at an obscene level, so passing into death wouldn't have affected him in the least.

"If my theory is right, this world would have given him some sort of protective anonymity so that no one would tie his soul to the person that he was before he died. That's the way Soul Society works, with new beginnings and what not. This means that the people who knew Ichigo from before wouldn't recognise him as 'Kurosaki Ichigo'. He could be right in front of them with the same face and hair, but unless he himself explains who he is, no one would ever know." Kisuke explained.

The implications of that were clear. Ichigo would have to come to them since they had no way of going to him.

No one knew what the unpredictable Vizard will do.

"I'll update you on anything I hear." Yoruichi informed her friend before getting up to leave.

She could see that Kisuke was close to the point of giving up, but he was their best bet and she wanted him to maintain hope. For all his genius, Kisuke was unexpected fragile when it came to things or people he was personally invested in.

* * *

"Kai! You trounced everyone in the practice hall again!" Hoshi exclaimed excitedly as he ran up to a certain orange-head and clapped him on his back.

 _Maybe I went overboard just now…_

 _ **Heck no! It was still too mild for my taste, dammit.**_

Ichigo gave his best mental eye-roll. _Everything_ was always too mild for Shiro.

After doing his research and experimenting with his convenient anonymity here in Soul Society, Ichigo decided to go by the name of 'Kai' – short for Kaien – as a sort of tribute to the late ancestor whom he had heard many stories about from Kukaku, and had slowly grown to respect.

It was unexpected that nobody would recognise him, but now, he had the opportunity to do anything he wanted in Seireitei without the burden of his name and without the need to confront his friends and family.

He would take the chance.

It has only been a week since class started and Ichigo was already pummelling everyone in the practice halls.

Ichigo had entered mid-semester and had a lot of catching up to do with his written schoolwork. The practical lessons that were based on the four Shinigami combat forms, however, were a breeze for him.

Yoruichi had taught Ichigo how to suppress his massive reiatsu a year into the war when more covert operations were required. It had been a pain back then, but Ichigo was so grateful for it now that he had to permanently suppress a large portion of his reiatsu just to get through lessons without traumatising one.

As it was, the amount of reiatsu he was using was still overkill, seeing as he managed to top all his classes within the short time he had been at the Academy. Even Ichigo's sad excuse of Kido was leaps and bounds better than the other students (but to be fair, he _was_ a war veteran).

Only week into classes, and Ichigo found that most of the students in the Academy avoided him. It was nothing unusual. His scowl and punk-coloured hair usually kept people away or earned him unwanted attention. He could chalk it up to people not knowing him as well as his high school friends had, who were comfortable being around him with his rough demeanour.

Ichigo could also see clear factions of students in the Academy. As dense as he was with social conventions, no one could miss the obvious air of nobility and arrogance around certain groups of students who would condescend to the other group of 'Rukongai trash'.

At least the nobles were smart enough to leave the 'Rukongai born' Ichigo alone after seeing his display of skill.

Ichigo was allocated to a single room, which he greatly appreciated since he didn't have to talk to anyone outside of classes. It was a good thing too, because he hardly slept more than a few hours each night out of habit, and would spend the time working out or reading in his room. That would've disturbed whoever might have been unlucky enough to have him as a roommate.

There was only one person who constantly sought out Ichigo.

Hoshi had a slight build with messy dark blue hair, matching blue eyes, and always looked a tad awkward in the kosode and hakama that all students wore. As far as Ichigo knew, Hoshi was from one of the minor noble families living under the protection of another larger clan in Seireitei. Like Ichigo, he didn't really fit in anywhere – not noble enough, but also not scrub enough. Hoshi had entered the Academy at the start of the year and was in a few of Ichigo's classes. Ichigo got the feeling that Hoshi might have been bullied prior to Ichigo's arrival, and if sticking to Ichigo would help the other student, Ichigo didn't mind.

The first thing Ichigo learned about Hoshi was that the student was a chatterbox. One would have thought that Ichigo would hate it, but he really didn't mind. Hoshi's chatting wasn't the annoying and incessant sort and Ichigo could learn a lot about Soul Society's culture and on-goings through his new friend.

It took only another week for Ichigo's teachers to take notice of him. It was a given, with the kind of scores he was getting. They began to discuss pushing him into final year classes for the next semester and let him make up for the remaining years that he skipped through doing an apprenticeship coursework.

This means that Ichigo would have to tag along with an attached teaching assistant of the Gotei 13 and do some easy Shinigami work with an actual squad.

They left the choice up to Ichigo since it wouldn't be an easy commitment. The workload would be heavy and working with actual Shinigami was not something to take lightly.

 **You've already decided?**

 _Of course._

This offer couldn't have come at a better time for Ichigo.

He was already getting bored out of his mind during lessons. There was pretty much nothing the Academy teachers could teach him since he could easily defeat all of them with both eyes closed _and_ both hands tied behind his back.

He usually spent his free time holed up in the library reading about Soul Society history and whatever caught his interest, or in his inner mindscape sparring with Shiro and Zangetsu. Even doing all that, however, wasn't enough to ease his restlessness.

* * *

It was another week of the same classroom routine before Ichigo met his attachment officer.

The look on the faces of the nobles were priceless when a teacher had called him out of class to lead him to the staff office.

Ichigo prayed to whatever god could hear him out there that it wouldn't be anyone he was familiar with. No one would recognise him, but it would still be mental torture for him.

Naturally, Ichigo's luck did its work yet again.

"This is Kuchiki Raido." The Zanjutsu Head introduced.

"He has been helping out at the Academy frequently as an ambassador of the Sixth Division, and you'll be attached to him for your advancement course.

"I'll let you two get to it." The Zanjutsu Head dismissed himself and promptly left them after the introduction.

Both Ichigo and Raido simply stared at one another in silence.

"It's you." Raido initiated, indicating that he had actually noticed Ichigo when they first met at the Academy (Ichigo wouldn't put it past him to have forgotten that whole affair entirely).

"It's me." Ichigo confirmed while he was mentally groaning.

 **It could have been worse.**

For once, Ichigo was not thankful for the old man's sensibility, because it sure as hell could have been a lot better too.

"You must have quite the potential for you to be skipping straight to final year. This might be a record if I'm not wrong."

"Go big or go home, right?"

Ignoring Ichigo's comment, Raido collected his papers in preparation to leave the office.

"Working in a squad is not child's play, regardless of your ability or intellect. The Sixth Division, especially, is very strict when it comes to conduct and discipline. If you have any qualms regarding my training, you can bring them to your instructor and request to terminate this arrangement at any time."

Ichigo remained silent. What was he supposed to say to that?

Raido paused in his movements to study Ichigo for a moment.

"Our Division has high expectations." Raido emphasised.

"I know."

Raido raised one sceptical eyebrow at Ichigo, which irked Ichigo to the point of him wanting to prove to the other man just _how much_ he really knew.

"You will be following me at all times from Wednesdays to Saturdays, even in the barrack bunks. We will have a bed ready for you. You will do whatever you're instructed to do by me or any other Sixth Division officer. Mondays and Tuesdays will be for your Academy lessons and you're free to do what you like on Sundays.

"You start tomorrow." Raido left the room with the clear dismissal.

 _What an uptight ass._

* * *

A/N:

Thanks for reading, and please leave a review on your way out!

I'm quite pleased with how my writing has improved since the previous time, and I hope my lovely readers can feel it too .


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